Lydia Writes About Music

The music of Appalacia, much like its geological history, is connected to traditions and histories from across the world. While primarily associated with rural, white “hillbilly” culture, Appalachian folk music has been equally influenced throughout its history by the musical traditions of poor Scottish and Irish immigrants as well as those of enslaved Africans who settles (or were brought by force) into the region. The geography of the region influenced the instruments that are now associated with Appalachian folk music and its various descendants, like bluegrass and old-time. The mountains are not easy terrain to traverse with large, fussy instruments like pianos, so the portability of an instrument became very important. Instruments like the banjo, fiddle, and mountain dulcimer with the mandolin and guitar coming on later, alongside those that are fashioned from everyday household objects like the washboard, spoons, or washtub bass became the go-to choices for musicians living in th...

I have so many thoughts when it comes to the intersection of music and gender; almost like a spiderweb, where each thought connects to a network of other thoughts and one vibrations reverberates through the whole web.  My first thought may seem like a non sequitur, but stick with me for a moment: I think about the relationship between women and arts at large and how it is viewed by society. It is common for the visual arts that are traditionally associated with women (sewing, quilting, embroidery, knitting, crochet, etc) to be placed under the category of “craft” whereas other forms of art, those that are more traditionally acceptable for any gender, are placed under the category of art. I wonder if the difference is that some of these crafts come from necessary everyday tasks (making and mending clothes, etc) that were made beautiful by those who were doing them. Maybe because there was an expectation that these things would get done, and that they would be done well, then they we...